Article 8#: Social media Distributions tools and publicity strategies
In a previous article I talked about ways of distribution and how social media could help you accomplish certain aspects with it. Now the following topic takes a lot a lot a lot of time to keep up and organize. So put your thinking caps on. If you work in a small team, then it would be even best to have one person completely focus on this one aspect. The aspect in which I researched the most: Free social media platform. Now some of you think. Oh, easy peasy. Just add a page on facebook or make an account on twitter and just upload things on there. I thought this too, but discovered it ain’t that easy (it never is). There is a lot of extra material to include with distributing your animated short. It's no secret that Hollywood uses social media in their marketing campaigns. And the marketing companies make the visual attractions of the films their marketing. Unfortunately because of this ocean of social media frenzy, it’s hard to stand out with your little animated short. That’s why having the right tools and strategies can be helpful. Know what I’ve seen is that you don’t have to make a science formula out of it. Just make sure you have a goal you want to achieve.
Distribution strategy plan
Setting up an plan, begins with knowing your animated short and the ultimate goal you wish to achieve with the animated short. Only then can you actually begin to plan your distribution strategy. But then you might be thinking ‘Distribution strategy is a wide term. What does it have to do with social media?’ Every form of exposure, whether through social media or not, has to be planned carefully in order for it to work even for a little.
http://www.filmspecific.com/public/Film-Distribution-Strategies.cfm
http://www.lavideofilmmaker.com/filmmaking/independent-film-distribution-tips-a-guide-for-indie-filmmakers.html
http://www.filmmakingstuff.com/movie-marketing-plan-overview/
Certain things you need to do for social media distribution is equeal with the things you have to do for bigger companies. Like the press kit and publicity strategies.
Things you need to have written down and taken care of:
– Contact Info (Name, Mail, Twitter, Facebook…)
– Company Bio(Personal bio)
Now this is not just for yourself, but for all the social webpages you created. When using social media distribution, you must also steer attention for your animated short beforehand. How much you wish to reveal is your choice. But everybody does it.
Now I’m lending this list from: http://www.filmmakingstuff.com/how-to-create-a-press-kit-for-your-indie-movie/ by JASON BRUBAKER because it give a short and to the point view on what a standard press kit contains:
Cover sheet: The cover sheet is basically the top sheet that grabs everyone’s attention and promotes the hook of the movie. In some ways, it’s sort of like a mini-poster that includes the title, contact info, some good quotes from previous reviews, the same cast and crew credits from the poster and mention of any film festival awards you have won.
Synopsis: You should already have a pretty solid synopsis. If you do, just cut and paste it into the press kit. If not, you’ll need one. So write it. Some people add action photos from the movie to this page. This is fine, as long as the photos look good.
Photos: Get some journalist friends to check out your production photos. Pick a few that seem incredibly interesting and do a good job of making people want to see the movie. Include them in the kit.
Cast and Crew: This is pretty simple. Just put together some bios of the main cast and crew and include them on the page next to a miniature headshot.
Anecdotes: This is the story of how the film got made. For this, you can write about memorable moments, such as when the camera broke 25 times after traffic delayed the first day of shooting for 13 hours and the lead actor caught fire.
Reviews: If you have any good reviews, include them here.
Credits: This is a page devoted to the full cast and crew credits.
But this is a standard press kit. With animation on the social media you can do so much more and should do much more. As animator you can include the following bits:
Make use of your qualities as an animator. Don’t be shy to do so either. It makes you keep control over your animated short.
http://www.raindance.org/7-essentials-for-a-press-kit/
http://www.bagitmovie.com/press_kit/PressKit_11.17.11.pdf
https://threeofakind-themovie.com/How_to_Make_a_Press_Kit.html